7133 
}35G 


UC-NRLF 


B    3    121    127 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


OF    THE 


LIBRARY  OF  BROWN  UNIVERSITY, 


WITH 


REGULATIONS. 


BY  R.  A.  GUILD,  A.M.,  Librarian. 


[FROM   THE  UNIVERSITY   QUARTERLY.   APRIL,   1861.] 


NEW   HAVEN. 

TUTTLK,    MOREHOUSE   A   TAYLOR,    PRINTERS. 

1861. 


UBRAM 

SCHOOL 


Z733 


THE 

LIBRARY  OF  BROWN  UNIVERSITY. 

[From  The  University  Quarterly  for  April,  1861.] 


[Note. — The  following  brief  sketch  has  been  in  part  compiled  from  Prof.  Jewett's 
"History  of  the  Library  of  Brown  University,"  which  was  published  in  1843. 
Free  use  has  been  made  of  this,  and  also  of  its  continuation  in  his  "  Notices 
of  Public  Libraries  in  the  United  States  of  America,"  published  at  Washington  in 
1850.  Mr.  Jewett  was  the  Librarian  of  Brown  University  from  1841  to  1848,  and 
thus  had  access  to  the  College  Records  and  other  trustworthy  sources  of  informa- 
tion. The  Papers  of  President  Manning,  to  which  the  present  author  has  had  ac- 
cess, furnish  in  addition  many  interesting  facts  in  regard  to  the  early  history  of  the 
Library.] 

HISTORICAL  SKETCH. 

In  the  year  1770,  Khode  Island  College,  now  called  Brown 
University,  was  removed  from  Warren  where  it  was  first  es- 
tablished, to  Providence,  a  town  containing  at  that  time  less 
than  four  thousand  inhabitants.  Here  the  first  College  edifice,  , q 
(University  Hall,)  was  erected,  at  an  expense  of  about  £4500,  \£y-  */N") 
the  principal  part  of  which  was  raised  in  the  town  itself,  "  an 
instance  of  beneficence,"  says  President  Manning,  "  on  the 
part  of  a  few  Baptists,  which,  their  fortunes  considered,  is 
almost  unparalleled." 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  books  procured  in  England  in 
1768-9,  through  the  agency  of  the  Kev.  Morgan  Edwards  of 
Philadelphia,  the  College  at  the  period  of  its  removal  from 
Warren  was  destitute  of  a  Library.  To  supply,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, this  deficiency,  the  Providence  Library  Company,  (now 
merged  in  the  Providence  Athenaeum,)  tendered  the  free  use 
of  its  books  to  the  Officers  and  Students — a  privilege  which 
was  continued  several  years. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  addressed  by  the  Presi- 
dent to  Dr.  Thomas  Llewellyn,  a  wealthy  Baptist  gentleman 
of  London,  shows  the  character  and  the  extent  of  the  Library, 
two  years  later.  The  letter  is  dated  at  Providence,  Feb.  21, 
1772.  "The  College  edifice  is  erected  on  a  most  beautiful  em- 
inence in  the  neighborhood  of  Providence,  commanding  a 
charming  and  variegated  prospect ; — a  large,  neat,  brick  build- 
ing, and  so  far  completed  as  to  receive  the  Students  who  now 

vol.  xiv. — no.  I.  22 

€76 


254  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April, 

reside  there,  the  whole  number  of  whom  is  twenty-two.  To 
this  number  we  have  the  prospect  of  some  further  addition, 
although  our  increase  will  not  probably  be  large  until  we  are 
better  furnished  with  a  Library.  At  present  we  have  but 
about  250  volumes,  and  these  not  well  chosen,  being  such  as 
our  friends  could  best  spare."  Mr.  Manning,  who  was  distin- 
guished in  those  early  days  for  his  scholar-like  attainments 
and  liberal  views,  did  not  overestimate  the  value  and  import- 
ance of  a  Librar    in  connection  with  an  institution  of  learning. 

In  the  latter  part  of  this  year,  perhaps  through  the  agency 
of  Dr.  Llewellyn,  the  College  received  from  the  executors  of 
the  Kev.  Dr.  John  Gill,  of  London,  the  distinguished  Commen- 
tator, all  his  published  works,  together  with  52  folio  volumes 
of  the  Fathers,  &c.  This,  in  the  days  of  "  small  things,"  was 
a  noble  gift,  and  greatly  augmented  the  treasures  of  the  Li- 
brary. 

The  following  year,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Wallin,  of  London, 
presented  to  the  Library  his  published  works  in  10  vols,  "  neat- 
ly bound  and  gilt,"  together  with  Bunyan's  Works,  6  vols., 
Booth's  Reign  of  Grace,  and  Wilson's  Sermons.  Donations 
were  also  received  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stennett  and  others. 

In  1774  we  find  upon  the  Records  of  the  Corporation,  a 
vote  of  thanks  to  the  Rev.  Simon  Williams,  "  for  his  generous 
donation  to  the  College  Library,  of  Cudworth's  Intellectual 
System,  in  2  Vols.,  quarto." 

On  the  6th  of  December,  1776,  immediately  after  the  occu- 
pation of  Newport  by  the  British  troops,  the  College  was  dis- 
banded, and  the  College  building,  from  that  time  until  June, 
1782,  was  occupied  as  a  barrack  and  hospital  for  the  American 
militia  and  the  French  troops  under  Count  Rochambeau. 
During  this  confused  period,  the  books  were  removed  to  the 
country  for  safe  keeping,  in  the  care  of  the  Rev.  William  Wil- 
liams, of  Wrentham,  Massachusetts,  one  of  the  class  of  seven 
that  graduated  at  Warren  in  1769,  a  Baptist  Clergyman  of 
high  repute,  and  for  many  years  a  Fellow  of  the  College. 

At  the  reorganization  of  the  College  in  the  Autumn  of  1782, 
the  Hon.  Asher  Bobbins,  LL.  D.,  late  of  Newport,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  office  of  Tutor,  and  took  charge  of  the  Library 


1861.]  Brown  University.  255 

as  Librarian.  It  was  then  kept  in  the  fast  chamber  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  College  building.  An  addition  was  made 
to  the  Library  soon  after  his  connection  with  it.  At  a  meeting 
of  the  Corporation  in  September,  1783,  it  was  proposed  by 
Mr.  John  Brown,*  to  raise  a  fund  by  subscription,  for  the  pur- 

*The  Hon.  John  Brown  was  one  of  the  "four  brothers,"  as  they  are  familiarly- 
designated  in  Providence  historj-,  (Nicholas,  Joseph,  John  and  Moses,)  whose  com- 
prehensive views  and  mercantile  integrity  contributed  greatly  to  the  prosperity  of 
their  native  town.  He  was  a  merchant  of  large  wealth,  and  the  first  in  Rhode 
Island  who  traded  to  the  East  Indies  and  China, — "a  man  of  magnificent  projects, 
of  extraordinary  enterprise,  and  of  great  public  spirit."  He  was  the  leader  of  the 
party  which,  in  1772,  destroyed  the  British  armed  schooner  Gaspee,  in  Narragan- 
sett  Bay.  It  was  owing  in  a  great  measure  to  his  patriotic  exertions  that  Rhode 
Island  was  finally  led  to  adopt  the  Federal  Constitution.  From  1799  to  1801,  he 
was  a  member  of  Congress.  In  common  with  his  brothers  he  was  ever  a  munifi- 
cent patron  of  learning.  He  subscribed  £300  towards  the  erection  of  University 
Hall,  the  corner-stone  of  which  (in  May  1770,)  he  laid.  From  1775  till  1797  he 
was  the  Treasurer  of  the  College,  and  to  the  end  of  life  his  efforts  to  promote  its 
welfare  were  unceasing.  He  died  in  1803,  at  the  age  of  67.  Nicholas,  the  oldest 
of  the  "four  brothers,"  and  the  father  of  him  from  whom  the  University  derives 
its  name,  was  also  an  early,  persevering  and  zealous  patron  of  the  College.  He 
was  a  Trustee  from  its  commencement  in  1764  until  his  decease.  He  was  a  man 
of  sincere  and  unaffected  piety,  and  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  29th  of  May, 
1701,  at  the  age  of  62,  was  universally  regarded  as  a  public  loss.  Joseph,  the 
second  of  the  brothers,  was  a  Trustee  from  1769  until  Dec.  3,  1785,  when  he  died, 
at  the  age  of  52.  Although  engaged  in  business  and  entirely  self-educated,  he 
was  distinguished  for  his  superior  intellectual  attainments,  and  especially  for  his 
skill  in  mechanical  science.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  Professor  of  Experi- 
mental Philosophy  in  the  College.  The  spacious  and  beautiful  house  of  worship 
erected  by  the  First  Baptist  Church,  (of  which  he  and  his  oldest  brother  were 
members,)  in  1775,  has  remained  for  nearly  a  century  as  a  conspicuous  monument 
to  his  taste  and  genius  as  an  architect.  Moses,  the  youngest  of  the  brothers,  died 
Sept.  6,  1836,  at  the  advanced  age  of  97.  In  1773  he  retired  from  business,  and 
at  the  same  time  joined  the  Society  of  Friends,  of  which  he  remained  throughout 
his  long  and  useful  life  an  influential  member.  He  was  a  munificent  patron  of  the 
Yearly  Meeting  Boarding  School  in  Providence,  and  was  continually  engaged  in 
the  various  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  day.  We  have  extended  this  note  in  or- 
der to  correct  certain  mistakes  which  biographers  of  these  brothers  have  some- 
times made,  and  especially  on  account  of  the  great  influence  which  they  exerted  in 
favor  of  this  and  other  similar  institutions.  "  Ever  honored,"  says  Prof.  Jewett, 
"be  the  Merchants,  who  in  the  early  days  of  the  College,  brought  the  spoils  of 
Commerce  and  laid  them  upon  the  altar  of  Learning  1  Though  self-educated  men, 
they  fully  appreciated  the  advantages  of  liberal  culture,  and  determined  to  secure 
them  for  their  children  and  the  children  of  their  contemporaries.  The  sons  of  these 
men  have  nobly  emulated  the  example  of  their  fathers." 


256  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April, 

chase  of  books.  To  encourage  liberality,  he  told  the  members 
to  subscribe  what  they  would,  procuring  by  subscription  else- 
where what  they  could,  and  that  whatever  the  amount  was,  he 
would  'subscribe  an  equal  sum.  How  well  he  redeemed  his 
pledge,  is  seen  by  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  of  Pres- 
ident Manning  to  the  Kev.  Caleb  Evans,  dated  September  13, 
1784.  "  We  have  ordered  out  from  London  this  Fall  about 
1400  Vols.,  being  a  donation  from  our  Treasurer,  John  Brown, 
Esq.  £200  was  also  subscribed  by  other  members  of  the  Cor- 
poration, for  Apparatus."  The  list  of  the  above,  it  may  be 
added,  was  made  out  chiefly  by  Mr.  Manning  and  the  Chan- 
cellor, Governor  Hopkins,  both  of  whom  were  well  versed  in 
English  literature,  and  excellent  judges  of  good  books. 

In  the  year  1785,  a  donation  consisting  of  Walton's  Biblia 
Sacra  Polyglotta,  with  Castell's  Lexicon,  8  Vols.,  folio,  Bayle's 
Dictionary,  5  Vols.,  folio,  Chambers'  Cyclopedia,  2  Vols., 
folio,  several  Fathers  of  the  Church,  &c.  &c,  was  received 
from  the  Bristol  Education  Society  in  England. 

This  Society  was  founded  in  the  year  1780,  in  aid  of  the 
Baptist  Academy,  at  Bristol,  "to  the  end  that  Dissenting 
Congregations,  especially  of  the  Baptist  Denomination,  in  any 
part  of  the  British  Dominions  may  be  more  effectually  sup- 
plied with  a  succession  of  able  and  evangelical  ministers." 
The  Society  has  been  eminently  useful.  It  is  now  in  posses- 
sion of  a  very  valuable  Library,  containing  the  collection  of 
books,  paintings,  etc.,  of  the  Eev.  Andrew  Gifford,  D.  D.,  for 
many  years,  sub-librarian  of  the  British  Museum,  and  the  Li- 
brary of  Thomas  Llewellyn,  LL.  D.,  the  distinguished  Cambro- 
British  scholar,  to  whom  we  have  before  referred,  as  the  friend 
and  correspondent  of  Manning.  Concerning  this  donation  the 
Kev.  Dr.  Caleb  Evans,  of  Bristol,  also  a  friend  and  correspond- 
ent of  President  Manning,  thus  writes.  "  At  our  last  annual 
meeting,  (August  24,  1785,)  I  obtained  a  vote  in  favor  of 
your  College  respecting  the  many  valuable  books  we  have  to 
dispose  of,  and  am  empowered  to  send  you  such  as  may  meet 
with  my  approval."  Such  evidences  of  kind  feeling  on  the 
part  of  those  with  whom  this  country  had  so  recently  been  at 
war,  are  certainly  gratifying,  even  at  the  present  day. 


1861.]  Brown  University.  257 

During  this  same  year,  Granville  Sharp,  Esq.,  presented 
several  of  his  own  publications,  together  with  a  set  of  the  works 
of  his  grandfather,  Dr.  John  Sharp,  Archbishop  of  York.  He 
subsequently  sent  other  valuable  presents  to  the  Library.  In 
1787,  the  thanks  of  the  Corporation  were  presented  to  Mr. 
John  Francis,  (son-in-law  of  John  Brown  and  father  of  John 
Brown  Francis,  late  Governor  of  Khode-Island,)  for  a  valuable 
donation  of  books. 

In  the  year  1792,  Nicholas  Brown,  then  a  recent  graduate  of 
the  Institution,  and  a  young  and  enterprising  merchant, 
commenced  his  benefactions  towards  the  College,  by  the 
gift  of  a  Law  Library,  containing  about  350  Vols.,  of  val- 
uable books,  which  he  had  imported  from  England  for  that 
purpose. 

The  Rev.  Isaac  Backus,  of  Middleborough,  Mass.,  author 
of  the  Church  History  of  New  England,  who  died  in  1806,  in 
the  85d  year  of  his  age  and  the  60th  of  his  ministry,  be- 
queathed to  the  College  a  part  of  his  Library.  The  extent  or 
value  of  this  bequest'  it  is  now  impossible  to  determine,  as  no 
record  was  made  of  it  at  the  •time.  Among  the  books  thus 
presented,  however,  there  is  one  which  deserves  particular  men- 
tion. It  is  a  copy  of  Roger  Williams'  "  Bloody  Tenent  yet 
more  Bloody,"  being  the  copy  originally  presented  by  Williams 
to  his  friend  and  fellow  laborer,  Dr.  John  Clarke.  On  a  blank 
leaf  it  contains  the  following  words  in  Roger  Williams'  hand 
writing:  "For  his  honored  and  beloved  Mr.  John  Clark,  an 
eminent  Witnes  of  Christ  Jesus,  ag'st  ye  bloodie  Doctrine  of 
persecution,  etc." 

In  1815,  Mr.  Nicholas  Brown  gave  $500  for  the  purchase  of 
books,  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Hope  Ives,  presented  a  copy  of 
Dobson's  edition  of  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica.  Mr.  Brown 
had  ten  years  previous  given  a  similar  sum  for  the  same 
purpose. 

The  next,  and  the  most  valuable  of  all  the  donations  to  the 
Library,  which  we  have  thus  far  recorded,  is  the  legacy  of  the 
Rev.  William  Richards,  LL.D.,  of  Lynn,  Eng.    Mr.  Richards* 

*  See  Memoirs  of  the  Life  and  Writings  of  Kev.  William  Richards,  LL.D.,  by 
John  Evans,  LL.D.,  of  Islington.     12mo.,  Chiswick,  1819. 

vol.  in.  22* 


258  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April, 

was  a  native  of  South  Wales.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  had 
been  at  school  only  one  year.  From  this  time  till  the  24th 
year  of  his  age,  when  he  entered  the  Academy  at  Bristol,  he 
received  no  instruction.  But  his  application  to  study  was 
vigorous  and  persevering.  He  remained  at  the  Academy  in 
Bristol  two  years.  After  preaching  for  a  short  time  as  an 
assistant  to  Dr.  John  Ash,  of  Pershore,  he  accepted  an  invita- 
tion from  the  Baptist  Church  at  Lynn,  to  become  their  pastor, 
and  entered  upon  his  public  ministry  in  that  town,  July  7, 
1776,  where  he  continued  to  reside — more  than  half  of  the 
time  as  pastor  of  the  Church — till  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1818,  in  the  69th  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Richards  seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  considerable 
learning,  particularly  in  English  and  Welsh  history,  and  in  the 
Welsh  language  and  literature.  His  writings  are  historical, 
political  and  controversial.*  His  most  important  work  is  the 
History  of  Lynn,  in  2  vols.,  8vo.  Dr.  Evans  says  of  it :  "  It 
is  not  only  well  written,  the  style  perspicuous  and  manly,  but 
it  is  replete  with  information  as  well  as  entertainment."  His 
Review  of  Noble's  Memoirs  of  fhe  Protectoral  House  of  Crom- 
well, is  characterized  by  Lowndesf  as  "  severe,  but  at  the  same 
time  just."  "  His  Dictionary  of  Welsh  and  English,"  says 
Dr.  Evans,  "  a  work  of  minute  and  wearisome  labor,  is  in  high 
repute."  Mr.  Richards  was  of  the  General  Baptist  denomina- 
tion, and  a  strong  advocate  of  religious  liberty.  It  was  his 
love  of  the  liberal  character  of  this  Institution,  which  induced 
him  to  bestow  upon  it  his  library,  as  appears  from  the  follow- 
ing passage  in  his  Memoirs  :  "  Mr.  Richards  had  corresponded 
with  Dr.  James  Manning,  once  President  of  the  Baptist  Col- 
lege in  Rhode  Island.  From  this  gentleman  he  learned  the 
liberal  constitution  of  that  respectable  Seminary,  and  for  some 
years  previous  to  his  death  meant  to  bequeath  to  it  his  library. 
He  accordingly  made  inquiry  of  Dr.  Rogers,  (of  Philadelphia,) 
whether  it  was  still  conducted  on  the  same  liberal  footing,  in 
which  case  he  should  cherish  the  same  generous  intentions 

*  For  a  list  of  his  writings — comprising  nearly  the  whole — see  under  his  name 
in  the  Catalogue. 
f  Bibliographer's  Manual. 


186J.]  Brown  University.  259 

towards  it."  This  inquiry  was  answered  by  Dr.  Messer,  then 
President  of  the  College,  in  a  letter  from  which  it  may  be  well 
to  extract  the  following  passage  :  "  Though  the  Charter  re- 
quires that  the  President  shall  forever  be  a  Baptist,  it  allows 
neither  him^  in  his  official  character,  nor  any  other  officer  of 
Instruction,  to  inculcate  any  sectarian  doctrine ;  it  forbids  all 
religious  tests ;  and  it  requires  that  all  denominations  of 
Christians,  behaving  alike,  shall  be  treated  alike.  The  Charter 
is  congenial  with  the  whole  of  the  civil  government  established 
here  by  the  venerable  Roger  Williams,  who  allowed  no  relig- 
ious Tests,  and  no  pre-eminence  of  one  denomination  over 
another ;  and  none  has  ever  been  allowed  unto  this  day.  This 
Charter  is  also  congenial  with  the  present  spirit  of  this  State 
and  of  this  town." 

Gratified  with  this  letter,  Mr.  Eichards  bequeathed  his  li- 
brary, consisting  of  about  1300  Vols.,  to  Brown  University. 
The  original  manuscript  catalogue  of  this  library,  written  in  a 
large  round  hand,  has  recently  been  deposited  in  the  College 
archives.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  will  of  the  donor  was 
made  on  the  very  day  on  which  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Laws  was  conferred  upon  him  by  this  College.  Mr.  Eich- 
ards had  received  no  intimation  that  the  honor  was  intended 
for  him,  nor  did  he  live  to  hear  that  it  had  been  bestowed. 

The  library  which  he  bequeathed  to  the  College  is  in  many 
respects  valuable.  It  contains  a  considerable  number  of  Welsh 
books,  a  large  collection  of  valuable  works,  illustrating  the 
history  and  antiquities  of  England  and  Wales ;  besides  two  or 
three  hundred  bound  volumes  of  pamphlets,  some  of  them  very 
ancient,  xare  and  curious. 

About  the  year  1820  a  splendid  donation,  consisting  of  103 
Vols.,  comprising  the  best  editions,  mostly  in  quarto,  of  the 
works  of  the  celebrated  French  mathematicians,  Euler,  La- 
croix,  Lagrange,  La  Place,  etc.,  besides  many  valuable  theo- 
logical works,  was  made  by  the  Eev.  Thomas  Carlile,  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  College  in  the  Class  of  1809,  and  for  several  years 
Eector  of  St.  Peter's  Church  in  Salem,  Massachusetts. 

About  the  year  1824,  54  Vols,  of  valuable  scientific  works, 
including  Cloquet's  Anatomie,  Lamarck's  and  De  Candolle's 


260  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April, 

Flore  Francaise,  Cuvier's  Regne  Animal,  and  Wilkin's  Vitru- 
vius,  were  presented  by  Mr.  John  Carter  Brown  and  Mr.  Rob- 
ert Hale  Ives.  Often,  since  that  time,  the  names  of  these 
gentlemen  appear  among  the  benefactors  of  the  Library. 

For  the  next  valuable  accession  to  the  Library— designated 
"  the  subscription  of  1825" — the  College  is  indebted  to  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Horatio  Gates  Bowen,  who  was  Librarian  of  the 
Institution  from  1824  to  1841.  At  his  request  several  of  the 
friends  of  the  College  subscribed  eight  hundred  and  forty  dol- 
lars, which  sum  was  expended  in  the  purchase  of  books. 

On  the  return  of  Professor  Elton  from  Europe,  in  1827,  do- 
nations were  received  through  him,  from  several  distinguished 
gentlemen  in  England,  in  all  283  Vols. ;  besides  85  Vols,  of 
classical  and  miscellaneous  works  purchased  by  him  at  the 
order  of  Messrs.  Brown  &  Ives. 

The  Libraries  of  the  Philophysian  and  Franklin  Societies, 
composed  of  undergraduates,  when  these  Societies  became  ex- 
tinct, were,  by  provisions  of  their  constitutions,  incorporated 
with  the  College  Library.  They  together  contained  300  or 
400  Vols. 

The  Government  of  Great  Britain  presented  in  1835,  110 
Vols,  of  the  publications  of  the  Record  Commission. 

In  1838,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  H.  Bartol,  wife  of  Rev.  Cyrus  A. 
Bartol,  of  Boston,  and  Mrs.  Hepsy  S.  Wayland,  wife  of  Presi- 
dent Wayland,  presented  356  Vols,  of  standard  works  in 
French  and  Italian  literature. 

The  late  Rev.  Jonathan  Homer,  D.D.,  of  Newton,  Mass.,  at 
various  times  made  valuable  donations  of  rare  and  costly  theo- 
logical books,  including  some  valuable  editions  of  the  Bible. 
Many  of  these  contain  copious  and  useful  manuscript  annota- 
tions by  the  learned  donor. 

About  the  year  1850,  the  Hon.  Theron  Metcalf,  LL.D.,  of 
Boston,  a  graduate  of  the  College  in  the  Class  of  1805,  pre- 
sented to  the  Library  a  collection  of  38  Vols,  of  Ordination 
Sermons.  To  this  he  has  since  added  from  year  to  year,  until 
it  now  numbers  61  Vols.  These  bound  volumes  contain  up- 
wards of  1400  discourses  preached  in  the  United  States,  and 
mostly  in  New  England,  at  ordinations,  installations  and  in- 


1861.]  Brown  University.  261 

augurations,  constituting  without  doubt  the  largest  collection 
of  the  kind  that  has  ever  been  made.  He  has  also  presented  at 
various  times  during  the  past  twenty  years,  80  Vols,  of  Funeral 
Sermons  arranged  in  classes  as  follows,  viz.  :  Ministers,  Boston 
Ministers,  Ministers'  Wives,  Women,  Presidents  of  the  United 
States,  Judges,  Miscellaneous  ;  22  Vols,  of  Century  and  Half- 
Century  Discourses ;  20  Vols,  of  Dedication  Discourses ;  12 
Vols,  of  Missionary  Sermons ;  12  Vols,  of  Fourth  of  July 
Orations,  including  all  delivered  before  the  municipal  authori- 
ties of  Boston  from  1800  to  1860  ;  5  Vols,  of  Discourses  on 
Washington ;  5  Vols,  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Addresses ;  27  Vols, 
of  Miscellaneous  Pamphlets,  Plymouth  Discourses,  Addresses 
to  Alumni,  Fast  and  Thanksgiving  Sermons,  &c,  &c.  The 
entire  collection  presented  by  Mr.  Metcalf  now  numbers  306 
Vols.,  containing  about  8000  separate  pamphlets.  They  have 
recently  been  indexed  and  catalogued  in  a  most  thorough 
manner.  The  importance  of  making,  preserving,  and  render- 
ing available  for  use  collections  of  this  kind,  in  connection  with 
the  ecclesiastical,  civil  and  literary  history  of  the  country,  can 
hardly  be  over  estimated. 

The  donations  which  have  thus  far  been  mentioned  were  for 
the  most  part  unsolicited.  Some  of  them  at  the  present  day 
seem  of  trifling  value.  They  are  not  placed  on  record  as  pos- 
sessed of  great  interest  in  themselves,  but  as  a  just  tribute  to 
friends  in  the  mother  country,  and  to  men,  who,  in  times  of 
less  prosperity  than  that  which  the  College  now  enjoys,  con- 
tributed liberally  towards  laying  the  foundations  of  an  honored 
and  useful  Institution. 

The  Library  Fund  next  claims  our  attention. 

LIBRARY  FUND. 

Soon  after  the  accession  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wayland  to  the 
presidency  of  the  College,  efforts  were  made  to  increase  the 
efficiency  of  the  Library,  and  thus  provide  enlarged  means  of 
liberal  and  generous  intellectual  culture,  by  raising  a  Fund  for 
the  purchase  of  books.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee of  the  Corporation,  held  Jan.  10,  1831,  it  was  unani- 
mously resolved : 

1.  That  immediate  measures  be  taken  to  raise  by  subscrip- 


262  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April, 

tion,  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  to  be  appropria- 
ted to  the  purchase  of  books  for  the  Library,  and  apparatus 
for  the  philosophical  and  chemical  departments  of  Brown 
University. 

2.  That  the  Chairman  and  Thomas  P.  Ives,  be  a  Committee 
to  carry  the  foregoing  Resolution  into  effect. 

Soon  afterwards,  a  meeting  of  the  friends  of  the  Institution 
was  called  for  the  purpose  of  seconding  this  effort.  At  this 
meeting  the  wants  of  the  Library  and  the  importance  of  sup- 
plying them,  were  presented  and  urged  by  Francis  Wayland, 
D.D.,  President  of  the  University,  Alexis  Caswell,  D.D.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Mathematics,  etc.,  and  John  Pittman,  LL.D.,  Judge 
of  the  United  States  District  Court  and  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Fellows.  Previously  to  this,  however,  the  Hon. 
Nicholas  Brown  had,  with  his  wonted  munificence,  subscribed 
ten  thousand  dollars  towards  the  Fund.  The  subscription  was 
opened  with  the  following  conditions : 

1.  The  whole  amount  shall  be  invested  in  a  permanent  fund, 
of  which  the  interest  shall  be,  from  time  to  time,  appropriated 
exclusively  to  the  objects  stated  in  the  Besolution. 

2.  The  selection  of  books  and  apparatus  shall  be  made  by 
joint  committee  of  the  Corporation  and  Government  of  the 
University. 

3.  One  third  of  the  amount  subscribed  shall  become  due  on 
the  first  day  Of  October,  1832,  another  third  on  the  first  day 
of  October,  1833,  and  the  remainder  on  the  first  day  of  Octo- 
ber, 1834. 

4.  A  copy  of  the  subscribers'  names,  and  of  the  sums  sub- 
scribed by  each,  shall  be  deposited  in  the  Library,  and  another 
among  the  archives  of  the  University. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  largest  subscribers. 
Most  of  the  subscriptions  were  obtained  through  the  exertions 
of  Dr.  Wayland  and  Dr.  Caswell  : 

Nicholas  Brown,  Providence, $10,000 

Thomas  Poynton  Ives,  Providence, 1,000 

John  Bowen,  New  York, 1,000 

James  Arnold,  New  Bedford, 300 


1861.]  Brown  University.  263 

Nathaniel  K.  Cobb,  Boston, $250 

Francis  Wayland,  Providence, _  200 

Moses  Brown  Ives,  Providenc  s, _.  200 

Bobert  Hale  Ives,  Providence, 200 

Samuel  Ward,  New  York, 200 

John  B.  J  ones,  Boston,  _ 150 

Richard  Fletcher,  Boston,  — 150 

Thomas  Burgess,  Providence, 150 

Amasa  Mason,  Providence, __  150 

William  Baylies,  Bridgewater,  Mass., 150 

Richard  James  Arnold,  Providence, 150 

William  Taylor  Grinnell,  Providence, 150 

William  Giles  Goddard,  Providence,. 125 

Alexis  Caswell,  Providence, 125 

The  whole  number  of  subscribers  was  99,  the  smallest  sub- 
scription being  ten  dollars.  The  sum  thus  obtained,  amounting 
to  $19,437,50,  was  placed  at  interest  until  it  had  accumulated 
to  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  was  then  invested  in  a 
permanent  fund,  in  the  stock  of  the  Blackstone  Canal  Bank, 
in  Providence,  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  subscription, 
as  already  specified.  The  first  dividend  became  due  in  July, 
1839.  Since  that  time  the  proceeds  have  been  regularly  ap- 
propriated according  to  the  design  of  the  donors. 

LIBRARY    BUILDING. 

The  room  used  for  the  Library,  at  the  time  when  the  Li- 
brary Fund  was  raised,  "was  an  apartment  in  University 
Hall,  crowded  to  excess,  unsightly  and  wholly  unfitted  for  the 
purpose  to  which  from  necessity  it  was  devoted."  To  remedy 
this  defect,  the  Hon.  Nicholas  Brown*  erected  at  his  own  ex- 

*  This  is  the  last  benefaction  of  Mr.  Brown  that  we  shall  have  to  record  in  this 
historical  Sketch  of  the  Library.  He  died  Sept.  27,  1841,  at  the  age  of  72.  For 
an  account  of  his  Life  and  Character ,  see  a  Commemorative  Discourse  delivered  by 
Dr.  Wayland,  in  the  Chapel  of  Brown  University,  November  3,  1841.  The  entire 
sum  of  his  recorded  benefactions  to  the  University,  amounts  to  one  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  dollars.  From  a  sketch  prepared  by  Professor  Gammell  in  1857,  for 
the  June  Number  of  the  "American  Journal  of  Education,"  we  make  the  following 
extracts:  "A  series  of  benefactions,  so  large  in  amount,  bestowed  on  a  single  in- 
stitution of  learning,  forms  a  brilliant  example  of  private  and  unostentatious  munifi- 


264  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April, 

pense  a  beautiful  edifice  for  a  Library  and  Chapel ;  to  which, 
in  testimony  of  veneration  for  his  former  Instructor,  he  gave 
the  name  of  Manning  Hall.  At  the  dedication,  February  4, 
1835,  Dr.  Wayland  delivered  a  Discourse  on  the  "  Dependence 
of  Science  upon  Eevealed  Religion,"  which  was  published. 

This  Hall,  the  third  College  Building  which  has  been  erected, 
is  of  the  Dorick  order,  built  of  rubble  stone,  and  covered  with 
cement.  Including  the  portico,  it  is  about  90  feet  in  length, 
by  42  feet  in  width.  Its  height,  from  the  top  of  the  basement, 
is  40  feet.  The  Library  occupies  the  whole  of  the  first  floor, 
and  is  a  beautiful  room,  ornamented  in  the  centre  with  a  double 
row  of  fluted  columns,  from  which  the  shelves  extend  to  the 
walls,  forming  twelve  alcoves.  Its  dimensions  are  64  feet  by 
38,  and  13  feet  high.  Extra  shelves  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  books  have  been  constructed  in  every  available  place 
throughout,  and  already  they  are  completely  filled.  This,  to- 
gether with  the  fact,  that  the  building  is  not  fire-proof,  and, 
like  most  library  edifices  in  this  country,  is  constructed  with 
reference  to  beauty  of  outward  proportion  and  architectural 
effect,  rather  than  to  convenience  of  interior  arrangements,  ab- 
solutely essential  to  the  efficient  working  of  a  good  public 
library,  points  to  the  necessity  of  a  more  capacious,  convenient, 
and  substantial  building. 

In  1843,  the  Library,  which,  on  the  1st  of  January  con- 
tained 10,235  bound  volumes,  was  newly  arranged,  and  a 
full  catalogue  of  its  contents,  prepared  by  Professor  C.  C. 
Jewett,  now  Superintendent  of  the  Free  Public  Library  of 
Boston,  was  printed.  This  Catalogue  was  favorably  noticed 
in  the  North  American  Review,  and  in  other  leading  pe- 
riodicals, and  drew  especial  attention  to  this  important  de- 
partment of  the  Institution.  It  is  alphabetical,  according 
to  the  names  of  Authors,  and  has  a  copious  and  analytical  in- 

cence,  which  at  that  time  had  seldom  if  ever  been  paralleled  in  the  history  of 
American  Colleges.  His  example  shone  almost  alone  in  the  generation  to  which 
he  belonged.  At  a  later  period,  in  the  altered  circumstances  of  New  England 
society,  this  sum  has  in  several  instances  been  surpassed  in  the  magnificent  foun- 
dations which  bear  the  honored  names  of  other  benefactors  of  humanity."  *  *  *  * 
"He  therefore  deserves  a  most  honorable  and  conspicuous  place  among  those  who 
have  stood  forth  as  leaders  and  pioneers  of  their  age,  in  the  true  appreciation  of 
Seminaries  of  learning,  and  in  liberal  donations  for  their  foundation  and  support." 


1861.]  Brown  University.  265 

dex  of  subjects.     A  supplement,  on  cards,  has  been  prepared, 
but  it  will  not  probably  be  printed. 

Soon  after  the  publication  of  the  Catalogue,  a  Chair  of  Mod- 
ern Languages  was  established  at  the  College,  and  Mr.  Jewett 
was  appointed  the  Professor  elect.  During  his  absence  in  Eu- 
rope, whither  he  had  gone  for  the  purposes  of  professional 
study,  and  to  enable  the  friends  of  the  Institution  to  carry  out 
more  effectually  their  wishes  for  the  increase  of  the  Library, 
he  was  authorized  by  Mr.  John  Carter  Brown,  to  purchase  at 
his  own  expense,  such  books  in  the  German,  French  and  Ital- 
ian languages,  as  might  be  thought  most  useful  for  the  College. 
The  Collection  thus  obtained,  numbering  2,921  volumes,  well 
bound  in  half  calf,  was  selected  with  great  pains  and  excellent 
judgment.  It  includes  a  set  of  the  French,  German  and  Ital- 
ian classics,  in  the  best  Library  editions  ;  the  principal  philo- 
sophical, scientific  and  historical  works  of  late  continental 
scholars  ;  a  complete  set  of  the  Moniteur  Universel,  from  its 
commencement  to  1826, — a  clean,  beautiful,  well-bound  copy 
of  the  original  edition,  in  77  Vols,  folio  ;  a  set  of  the  Memoirs 
of  the  French  Institute  since  its  reorganization,  61  Vols.  4to. ; 
the  collection  of  memoirs  relative  to  the  history  of  France,  by 
Guizot  and  Petitot,  162  Vols.  8vo.  ;  Biographie  Universelle, 
52  Vols.,  full  calf,  8vo. ;  a  complete  set  of  the  Allgemeine 
Literatur-Zeitung,  134  Vols.  4to. ;  and  of  the  Allgemeine 
Deutsche  Bibliothek,  133  Vols.  8vo. ;  II  Vaticano,  8  Vols, 
folio,  elegantly  illustrated  ;  II  Campidoglio,  2  Vols,  folio,  ;  the 
Museo  Borbonico,  13  Vols.  4to.  ; — the  original  Naples  edi- 
tion ;  the  works  of  Canova  and  Thorwaldsen ;  the  Musee 
Francais  and  Musee  Royal,  in  6  Vols,  folio  ;  the  "  Description 
de  l'Egypte  ;"  Canina's  Architecture,  and  many  more  illus- 
trated works  of  great  beauty  and  value,  besides  rare  and  costly 
maps  and  prints.  These  books  were  mostly  purchased  at 
auctions  in  Paris,  Eome,  Leipsic,  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  and 
Berlin.     Mr.  Brown*  has  since  continued  the  Moniteur,  Me- 

*  In  addition  to  his  donations  to  the  Library,  Mr.  Brown  has  given,  at  different 
times,  Fifty  Thousand  Dollars  to  the  College,  thus  evincing  a  noble  emulation  of 
the  deeds  and  benefactions  of  his  honored  father,  Nicholas  Brown,  to  whom  we 
have  so  freely  referred. 

vol.  in.  23 


266  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April, 

moirs  of  the  French  Institute,  Museo  Borbonico,  &c.,  down  to 
the  present  time.  He  has,  also,  from  year  to  }rear,  made  valu- 
able donations  to  the  Library,  chiefly  of  rare  and  costly  books. 
Among  them  may  be  mentioned,  in  illustration,  the  follow- 
ing, viz  :  "  Justiniani  Institutiones,"  folio,  Venetiis,  N.  Jen- 
son,  1477, — a  splendid  copy  of  one  of  the  old  illuminated 
books,  bound  in  full  Kussia  ;  Babylonian  Talmud,  12  Vols, 
folio,  bound  in  full  goat,  gilt, — a  sumptuous  copy  ;  Barnard's 
"  Catalogus  Bibliothecae  Regise,"  large  paper,  6  Vols,  folio  ; 
Philosophical  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society  of  London, 
from  its  commencement,  in  1665,  to  the  present  time,  78  Vols, 
quarto  ;  Muratori's  "  Rerum  Italicarum  Scriptores,"  with  Tar- 
tini's  continuation,  30  Vols,  folio;  "Journal  des  Debats," 
1800-36,  74  Vols,  folio  ;  Panzer's  "  Annales  Typographici," 
11  Vols,  quarto  ;  Livy's  "Decades  a  Lucca  Porro  Recognita," 
folio  ;  Tarvisi,  J.  Vercellius,  1482, — an  uncommonly  fine  spe- 
cimen of  ancient  typography  ;  Year  Books,  1596-1640,  black 
letter,  10  Vols,  small  folio,  very  rare  and  important,  bound  in 
full  Russia  ;  Aringhi's  "  Roma  Subterranea  post  Bosium,  &c, 
2  Vols,  folio,  1659  ;  "  Collection  de  Documents  Inedits  sur 
l'Histoire  de  France,"  92  Vols,  quarto. 

To  supply  the  deficiencies  of  the  Library  in  standard  Eng- 
lish works,  a  subscription  was  opened  among  the  friends  of  the 
College,  amounting  to  about  $5,000,  and  Mr.  Jewett  was  ap- 
pointed to  select  and  purchase  the  books.  This  collection  was 
received  in  the  Library  in  1845,  and  raised  the  whole  number 
of  volumes  to  nearly  19,000. 

Among  the  English  books  added  to  the  Library  at  this  time, 
is  a  Skakspeariana,  in  196  Vols.,  bound  in  full  calf,  gilt.  It 
was  collected  by  Thos.  Rood,  Esq.,  bookseller  in  London, 
and  it  contains  Ireland's  own  copy  of  his  Confessions,  inlaid, 
as  the  book-binders  term  it,  with  marginal  notes  in  his  own 
hand-wi  iting,  and  many  original  and  curious  documents.  The 
collection  was  purchased  and  presented  to  the  Library  by  the 
late  Moses  B.  Ives,*  Esq.,  a  graduate  of  the  College  in  1812, 


*  Mr.  Ives  died  on  the  7th  of  August,  l&T,  at  the  age  of  63.  A  discourse,  in 
commemoration  of  his  life  and  character,  was  delivered  by  the  Rev  Dr.  Wayland, 
from  which  we  cannot  forbear  making  the  following  extract.  "  Aa  Treasurer  of 
the  University,  he  was  brought  into  more  intimate  relations  with  the  officers  of  in- 


1861.]  Brown  University.  267 

and  for  nearly  thirty-two  years  its  Treasurer.  Mr.  Brown  has 
since  added  to  this  collection  150  Vols.,  purchased  at  the  recent 
sale  of  Burton's  Shakspeariana,  in  New  York. 

Philip  Allen,  Esq.,  of  Providence,  also  presented  to  the 
Library  at  this  time,  a  fine  copy  of  the  General  Atlas  of  the 
Society  for  the  Diffusion  of  Useful  Knowledge,  together  with 
the  military  works  of  General  Jomini,  in  24  octavo  Vols.,  with 
plates  and  atlases. 

The  Class  which  graduated  in  1821,  held  a  meeting  in  Prov- 
idence, a  quarter  of  a  century  from  the  time  of  their  gradua- 
tion, at  which  a  considerable  sum  of  money  was  subscribed  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Library,  in  token  of  their  grateful  interest 
in  the  Institution  at  which  they  were  educated.  The  money 
thus  obtained  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Webb, 
of  Boston,  who  purchased,  with  excellent  judgment,  about  500 
Vols.,  mostly  from  the  Library  of  the  Hon.  John  Pickering. 
Among  them  are  50  Vols,  of  the  "  Histoire  de  1'  Academie 
Koyal  des  Inscriptions  et  Belles  Lettres,"  "Fabricii  Bibliotheca 
Gracea,"  14  Vols,  quarto,  and  a  large  thick  vol.  of  Plutarch's 
Lives,  in  Latin,  published  at  Rome,  in  1471.  This  last  vol.  is 
one  of  the  oldest  books  in  the  Library. 

The  next  year,  1847,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Osgood,  D.  D.,  of 
New  York,  at  that  time  a  Clergyman  in  Providence,  proposed 
to  several  of  the  religious  Societies  of  the  city,  a  subscription 
for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  deficiencies  of  the  Library  in 
the  best  editions  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  and  the  stand- 
ard theological  writers  of  the  Reformation.  About  $ 2,000 
was  raised,  and  a  fine  collection  was  purchased  of  the  Benedic- 

struction.  No  one  of  them  will,  I  am  sure,  forget  the  fraternal  care  with  which  he 
watched  over  their  interests.  Was  any  of  them  sick, — he  was  the  first  person  to 
visit  him,  with  offers  of  assistance.  Was  any  one  borne  down  with  labor,  and  in 
need  of  relaxation, — he  was  the  first  to  suggest  the  remedy,  and  the  most  active  in 
providing  the  means  for  its  accomplishment.  In  all  the  efforts  made,  for  the  last 
thirty  years,  to  increase  the  Library,  and  improve  the  facilities  for  education,  he 
ever  bore  a  prominent  part.  His  interest  never  flagged,  when  anything  could  be 
suggested  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  Institution  which  he  loved  so  well.  If. 
in  any  respect,  Brown  University  has  gained  in  favor  with  the  public ;  if  it  has 
taken  a  more  honorable  rank  among  the  Colleges  of  New  England ;  if  its  means  of 
education  have  been  rendered,  in  any  respect,  ample,  and  its  Board  of  Instruction 
such  as  would  adorn  any  similar  Institution  in  our  country ;  to  no  one  are  we  more 
indebted  for  all  this,  than  to  the  late  Treasurer  of  the  University." 


268  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April, 

tine  editions  of  several  of  the  Fathers  ;  the  "  Bibliotheca 
Maxima  Veterum  Patrum,"  30  Vols,  folio  ;  Harduin's  Collec- 
tio  Conciliorum,"  12  Vols,  folio  ;  besides  the  choicest  editions 
of  many  of  the  Fathers  not  edited  by  the  Benedictines,  and  a 
large  collection  of  works  connected  with  Patristic  Literature 
and  the  History  of  the  Keformation.  To  this  collection  of  the 
Fathers,  valuable  additions  were  made  at  the  recent  sale  in 
New  York  of  the  Library  of  the  late  Dr.  Jarvis. 

In  1854,  the  Hon.  James  Tallmadge,  of  New  York,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Class  of  1798,  bequeathed  to  the  University  the 
sum  of  $1,000  to  improve  its  Library.  This  amount  was,  ac- 
cordingly, through  the  kindness  and  courtesy  of  Dr.  Cogswell, 
appropriated  to  the  purchase  of  some  of  the  Astor  Library  dupli- 
cates.    These  now  occupy  a  separate  part  of  one  of  the  alcoves. 

Valuable  donations  have  recently  been  made  to  the  Library 
by  Don  Geronimo  Urmeneta,  an  Alumnus  of  the  University, 
and  late  Minister  of  Finance  of  the  Republic  of  Chili ; — and  also 
by  others.     But  our  limits  will  not  admit  of  further  details. 

From  this  imperfect  sketch  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  Library 
of  Brown  University,  although  not  large,  is  unusually  choice 
and  valuable.  A  large  proportion  of  the  books  have  been  se- 
lected with  special  reference  to  the  wants  of  Students,  and  gen- 
tlemen engaged  in  literary  and  scientific  research.  The  depart- 
ments of  Bibliography,  the  Classics,  English  History  and  Lite- 
rature, Ecclesiastical  History,  Patristics,  Mathematics,  the  Mod- 
ern Languages,  and  the  Fine  Arts,  are  quite  full,  and  compara- 
tively complete.  There  are  but  few  duplicates.  In  addition  to 
the  Metcalf  collection  already  described,  the  Library  has  a  large 
number  of  bound  pamphlets,  "those  leaves  of  an  hour,  and  vol- 
umes of  a  season,  and  even  of  a  week/'  which,  says  D'Israeli, 
"slight  and  evanescent  things  as  they  appear,  and  scorned  at  by 
opposite  parties,  while  each  cherishes  its  own,  are  in  truth  the 
records  of  the  public  mind,  the  secret  history  of  a  people,  which 
does  not  always  appear  in  the  more  open  narrative." 

PRESENT    NUMBER   OF   VOLUMES. 

The  present  number  of  volumes,  as  nearly  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained by  the  ordinary  methods  of  estimating  Libraries,  is 


1861.]  Brown  University.  269 

30,000.  To  this  enumeration,  may  be  added  6,000  Vols,  be- 
longing to  the  Philermenian  and  United  Brothers'  Societies, 
making  a  total  of  36,000. 

Several  of  the  College  Professors*  have  good  Libraries  in 
the  specialities  to  which  they  are  devoted.  That  of  Dr.  Sears 
is  deserving  of  special  mention.     It  contains  upwards  of  7,000 

*  In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  improper  to  refer  to  the  magnificent  private 
collection  of  Mr.  J.  C.  Brown,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Fellows,  to  whose  liberal- 
ity the  College  Library  is  so  greatly  indebted.  It  contains  upwards  of  10,000  vol- 
umes, selected  with  excellent  judgment  and  skill,  and  purchased  without  regard  to 
cost.  The  following  works  may  be  mentioned  as  an  illustration  of  the  character 
and  great  value  of  the  Library.  The  "  Complutensian  Polyglot  Bible,"  in  6  large 
folio  volumes.  This  great  work  was  published  by  Cardinal  Ximines,  in  1552,  and 
at  an  expense  of  50,000  ducats.  It  is  scarce  at  the  present  day,  only  600  copies 
having  been  printed.  The  "Royal  Polyglot,"  8  Yols.  folio;  published  at  Antwerp, 
in  1569-72,  at  the  expense  of  Philip  II.,  of  Spain;  exceedingly  rare  and  expensive, 
only  500  copies  having  been  printed,  many  of  which  were  afterwards  lost  at  sea. 
The  " Parisian  Polyglot  of  Le  Jay,"  10  immense  folio  Vols.;  published  at  Paris  in 
1628—45  ;  large  paper  copy,  and  sumptuously  printed.  "Walton's  Polyglot,  6  Vols, 
folio.  " The  first  books,"  says  Dibdin,  "ever  published  in  England  by  subscription." 
Hutter's  Polyglot,  published  at  Nuremberg  in  1599.  "Among  the  scarcest  books 
in  Bibliography."  A  set  of  the  bibliographical  works  of  Dibdin,  (on  large  paper,) 
so  much  sought  for  by  all  book  collectors.  "Relations  des  Jesuites,"  supposed  to 
be  the  most  complete  set  of  these  valuable  reports  in  existence.  A  collection  of 
about  500  Vols,  of  the  celebrated  "  Aldine  Editions."  Mr.  Brown's  Library,  how- 
ever, consists  principally  of  books  relating  to  America.  "We  cannot  better  describe 
it  further,  than  by  quoting  from  the  "Librarian's  Manual,"  a  work  published  by 
Norton,  of  New  York,  in  1858.  "  These  two  Caffclogues,  (Bibliotheca  and  Supple- 
ment.) although  they  contain  2,523  Articles,  are  far  from  being  complete.  A  Mer- 
chant, of  Providence,  (Mr.  Brown,)  well  known  to  the  amateurs  of  this  class  of  books, 
has  in  his  own  private  collection  3231  early  works  upon  America,  published  between 
the  years  1700  and  1800,  of  which  1512  are  not  mentioned  by  Rich.  He  has  also  1174 
works  published  previous  to  the  year  1700,  of  which  509  are  not  mentioned  by  Ter- 
naux;  thus  making  4,405  separate  works  relating  to  America  and  published  previ- 
ous to  the  year  1800,  of  which  2,021  were  unknown  to  the  eminent  American  Bib- 
liographers, whose  Catalogues  are  described  in  this  fist."  The  most  costly  of  all 
collections  of  books  is  the  one  of  which  Hariot's  Virginia  forms  a  part,  and  which 
is  known  as  De  Bry's  Voyages.  This  is  a  collection  of  voyages  and  travels  in  Asia 
Africa,  and  America.  Its  publication  was  commenced  in  the  year  1690,  by  De  Bry, 
an  eminent  printer  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  and  continued  by  himself  and  his  sons 
for  forty  years.  It  is  copiously  illustrated  with  maps  and  the  finest  engravings  ex- 
ecuted at  that  period.  The  series  make  25  folio  Vols.,  13  of  which  relate  to  Amer- 
ica. It  was  published  entire  in  Latin  and  German,  and  in  French  and  English  in 
part.  It  also  underwent  many  changes  and  variations.  The  finest  and  most  com- 
plete set  of  this  exceedingly  rare  work,  including  every  edition  and  variation  known 
making  nearly  a  hundred  volumes,  forms  a  part  of  Mr.  Brown's  private  collection. 

vol.  in.  23* 


270  The  Library  of  Brown  University  [April, 

Vols.,  the  greater  part  of  which  are  in  the  German  and  Latin 
languages.  The  most  valuable  part  of  it  consists  of  special 
histories  and  biographies,  particularly  those  relating  to  the  pe- 
riod of  the  Keformation,  and  what  preceded  and  followed  it. 

LIBRARIANS. 

Previous  to  the  year  1824,  the  duties  of  the  Librarian  were 
performed  by  one  of  the  College  Tutors.  The  following  are 
the  names  of  those  who  have  filled  this  office,  viz  :  Hon.  Asher 
Bobbins,  LL.  D.,  William  "Wilkinson,  Kev.  Jonathan  Maxcy, 
T>.  D.,  Kev.  Asa  Messer,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Kev.  Otis  Thompson, 
Professor  Calvin  Park,  D.  D.,  William  Emmons,  Hon.  John 
Bailey,  Caleb  H.  Snow,  M.  D.,  Peter  Pratt,  Aaron  Brooks, 
Hon.  Horace  Mann,  LL.  D.,  and  C.  Sumner  Smith.  From 
1824  till  1841,  the  office  was  filled  by  Professor  Horatio  G. 
Bo  wen.  He  was  succeeded  by  Professor  C.  C.  Jewett,  who 
held  the  office  seven  years.  The  present  incumbent  entered 
upon  his  duties  in  March,  1848. 

REGULATIONS. 

The  Library  is  open  during  Term-time,  daily,  from  9  till  1  ; 
during  Vacations,  weekly,  on  Saturdays,  from  10  till  1.  The 
members  of  the  Corporation  and  Faculty  ;  all  resident  Grad- 
uates ;  all  donors  to  the  Library  Fund  ;  all  donors  to  the  Fund 
for  building  Khode  Island  Hall ;  and  all  donors  to  the  Library 
to  the  amount  of  $40,  residing  in  Providence,  are  entitled  to 
the  use  of  the  Library  without  expense.  Undergraduates  are 
entitled  to  the  use  of  the  Library,  and  are  charged  therefor  the 
sum  of  $3  per  annum. 

The  privilege  of  consulting  the  Library  is  extended,  under 
ordinary  restrictions,  to  all  Graduates  of  the  University ;  to 
all  settled  Clergymen,  of  every  denomination,  residing  in  the 
city  of  Providence  and  the  vicinity  ;  and  to  all  other  persons 
on  whom,  for  the  purpose  of  advancing  the  arts,  science  or  lit- 
erature, the  Corporation  or  Library  Committe  may,  from  time 
to  time,  confer  it.  Books  are  occasionally  loaned,  to  persons  at 
a  distance,  by  special  permission. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  general  regulations  of  the  Li- 


1861.]  Brown  University.  271 

brary,  established  by  a  vote  of  the  Corporation  of  Brown  Uni- 
versity, at  their  Annual  Meeting,  Sept.  2,  1841. 

No  book  shall  be  borrowed  from  the  Library  or  returned  to 
it,  without  the  knowledge  and  presence  of  the  Librarian  or  his 
Assistant,  who  shall  take  particular  notice  of  the  state  of  each 
book,  when  delivered  out,  and  when  returned.  And  every  book, 
when  lent,  shall,  if  the  Librarian  so  direct,  have  a  proper  cover 
on  it,  which  shall  be  returned  undefaced,  with  the  book.  And 
the  Librarian  shall  require  of  the  borrower  a  receipt  for  every 
book,  if  he  be  present ;  otherwise  the  book  may  be  delivered 
on  his  written  application.  In  no  case,  however,  shall  books 
be  lent  to  Undergraduates,  unless  they  are  present  to  sign  a 
receipt  for  the  same. 

No  person  except  officers  of  instruction  shall  borrow  from 
the  Library  more  than  one  folio,  which  he  may  keep  four  weeks  ; 
or  one  quarto,  which  he  may  keep  three  weeks  ;  or  two  octavos 
or  two  duodecimos,  which  he  may  keep  two  weeks. 

For  every  book  not  returned  at  the  time  specified,  the  per- 
son borrowing  it  shall  pay  for  each  folio  or  quarto,  three  cents ; 
and  for  each  octavo  or  duodecimo,  two  cents,  for  every  day, 
until  it  shall  be  returned. 

All  the  books,  whether  in  possession  of  undergraduates,  res- 
ident graduates,  officers  of  instruction,  members  of  the  corpo- 
ration, or  others,  shall  be  returned  to  the  Library,  on  or  before 
the  Friday  preceding  the  close  of  each  collegiate  term.  Any 
person  who  may  fail  to  comply  with  this  requirement,  shall  pay 
twenty-five  cents  for  each  volume  of  which  he  retains  possession. 

If  any  book  borrowed  from  the  Library  be  injured  or  defaced 
by  writing  in  it  or  otherwise,  or  be  lost,  the  Librarian  shall 
make  immediate  report  of  it  to  the  Library  Committee.  And 
if  the  borrower  be  a  Graduate  or  Undergraduate,  the  Library 
Committee  shall  oblige  him  to  replace  it  as  soon  as  possible, 
with  one  of  equal  value  ;  or  they  may  punish  him  by  fine  or 
otherwise  ;  and  if  such  volume  be  part  of  a  set,  the  borrower 
shall  be  obliged  to  replace  the  whole  set,  or  be  punished,  as 
above  ;  and  until  this  be  done,  he  shall  not  be  allowed  to  bor- 
row any  other  book. 

No  book  can  be  renewed  to  any  Undergraduate  or  resident 
Graduate,  unless  it  be  brought  to  the  Library. 


272  The  Library  of  Brown  University.  [April? 

No  Undergraduate,  while  receiving  books,  shall  take  down 
any  book  from  the  shelves  without  special  permission  from  the 
Librarian. 

No  person  shall  lend  to  any  other  a  book  which  he  has  bor- 
rowed from  the  Library,  nor  let  it  go  from  under  his  personal 
custody.  And  no  book  shall,  by  any  person,  be  carried  out  of 
the  city  of  Providence,  without  the  special  permission  of  the 
Corporation  or  of  the  Library  Committee. 

Inasmuch  as  the  Librarian  is  held  specially  responsible  for 
the  safe  keeping  of  the  books,  etc.,  belonging  to  the  Library, 
no  person  shall  be  allowed  to  enter  the  Library,  unaccompanied 
by  him  or  by  his  authorized  agent. 

If  any  Undergraduate  desires  to  borrow  a  book,  which  is 
lent  out  of  the  Library,  he  may  leave  his  name  and  the  title  of 
the  book  with  the  Librarian,  and  when  the  book  shall  be  re- 
turned, the  Librarian  shall  reserve  it  for  the  person  so  apply- 
ing ;  provided  he  call  for  it  at  his  next  time  of  receiving  books 
from  the  Library. 

Such  books,  maps,  charts,  etc.,  as  have  been,  or  which  may 
be  presented,  with  the  intention  or  request  that  they  shall  not 
be  lent  from  the  Library,  shall  in  no  case  be  lent  therefrom. 
Books  which  are  valuable  for  their  plates,  or  for  their  rarity  or 
antiquity,  and  all  others  which  the  Library  Committee  may 
designate  as  works  of  reference,  shall  not  be  lent ;  but  may  be 
freely  consulted  in  the  Library. 

The  privileges  of  the  Library  shall  be  withdrawn  from  all 
such  persons  as  may  incur  fines  under  the  preceding  Kegula- 
tions,  until  such  fines  shall  have  been  paid.  And  the  Libra- 
rian is  authorized  to  suspend  or  withdraw  the  privilege  of  bor- 
rowing books  from  the  Library,  or  of  reading  books  therein, 
from  any  person  who  may  wilfully  violate  any  of  its  regula- 
tions. 

The  Joint  Library  Committee  are  authorized  to  establish, 
from  time  to  time,  such  additional  regulations,  not  incompat- 
ible with  the  Laws  of  the  University,  as  shall  be  found  proper 
and  necessary,  for  the  safety  of  the  Library  and  the  due  admin- 
istration of  its  concerns.  All  such  additional  regulations  shall, 
however,  be  reported  to  the  Corporation. 


OV       1   1956 


RETURN       LIBRARY  SCHOOL  LIBRARY 

TOai^       2  South  HalJ 


642-2253 


LOAN  PERIOD  1 


ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 


DUE   AS  STAMPED   BELOW 


MM 


22W 


FORM  NO.  DD  18,  45m,  6'76 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 
BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


©i 


LD  21-100m-2,'55 
(Bl39s22)476 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


